Science Laboratories
The departments of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics maintain laboratory facilities adjacent to classrooms in Brownson Hall. The Chemistry Department laboratory equipment includes an Agilent Technologies 7820A Gas Chromatograph, an Agilent Technologies 5975 series Mass Spectrometer, a Perkin Elmer Spectrum 100 FT-IR spectrometer, a Varian 920 Liquid Chromatograph, a Varian Cary 100 Bio UV-VIS spectrophotometer, two Barnstead / Turner SP-830 spectrophotometers, a PicoSpin-45 NMR spectrometer, and an Anasazi 60 MHz NMR spectrometer. The Department has computers available for computational chemistry and molecular modeling.
The Electron Microscopy Center of the Biology Department has scanning and transmission electron microscopes, ultramicrotomes, and a dark room for the development of photomicrographs. Recent renovations have provided several new laboratory spaces for research and teaching, including: a cold storage room and waste management facility, a “smart classroom” which makes possible technology-enhanced instruction of biology classes, seminars and research presentations, and a state-of-the-art research Tissue Culture Facility. This facility supports the long-term maintenance and experimentation of suspension and adherent cell lines and explant cultures for both classroom and research endeavors. For further information, consult the Biology Department description, below.
The Physics Department laboratory has recently been outfitted with modern, computer-based experimental stations which are used for student laboratory courses. Various sensors connected to a computer interface allow real-time digital data acquisition, processing, and graphical analysis, in addition to conventional experimentation. Simulation of advanced experiments and astronomical observation can also be performed on the computers. Advanced students have access to instrumentation for experiments in atomic, nuclear, and particle physics, optics, and nonlinear dynamics.
Safety in the laboratories is a serious concern. The science departments have procedures in place for their respective labs. Students should consult the Director of Laboratory Management and Safety or the appropriate department for these procedures.